Advice And Guidance On Buying & Selling Licenses On iLoks

Following a question in Podcast 81 from Michael Lux asking how to get a copy of the Pro Tools 11HD software because he wanted the Surround features now only available in Pro Tools HD.

We talked about how it was possible to buy the license secondhand, but that the seller would need to put it on an iLok and send the buyer the iLok, as Avid have now blocked transferring Pro Tools HD licenses from one iLok account to another.

In the podcast, we also discussed how the new iLok would show up on the buyer’s iLok License Manager.

You can still buy a surplus Pro Tools HD license and this is how….

The Seller buys an empty iLok (if it is a PT11HD license, it will need to be an iLok2, but earlier versions are OK on an iLok1).

The Seller links the new iLok to their iLok account and transfers the Pro Tools HD license onto the new iLok.

Note: It is no longer possible to unlink an iLok from an account, so this new iLok will stay registered to the Seller. The only way to remove an iLok from an account now is if it has no licenses on it, which defeats the object of buying and selling a Pro Tools HD license.

Once the Buyer has paid the Seller the agreed sum, the Seller sends the iLok with the PTHD license on it to the Buyer.

The Buyer plugs the new iLok into their system and can benefit from all the Pro Tools HD features.

Note: The Pro Tools 11 installer is the same for Vanilla and HD, so you shouldn’t need to re-install the software. For earlier versions of Pro Tools HD, you may need to download the appropriate installer to get the HD features.

Following our discussion on Podcast 81, Andrew Kirk from iLok, reached out to us to explain what the situation is with the buyer’s iLok in this scenario. Firstly the matter of how it would appear in the iLok License Manager software…

When any user isn’t logged in, an iLok2 will show the licenses that are on it. However the iLok1 does not have this capability. The iLok1 may or may not show the count of licenses depending if it has been seen by that machine before. In short the iLok1 doesn’t give any dat until you are logged in.

When not logged in (you haven’t clicked on the Sign In button in the License Manager window) - it will not display who owns the iLok either, but it will, show the iLok’s serial number.

When a user is logged into their account….

An iLok will show the name given to the iLok and the licenses that are on either an iLok1 or an iLok2.

If you click on the Show Details button, it will show you the ownership details if the iLok is yours.

If you don’t own ithe iLok, it will simply indicate that the iLok belongs to “another user”. The iLok logo on the left will also be red - indicating that it is registered to another user. If you don’t own the iLok you will not be able to transfer anything on or off the iLok.

For privacy reasons it will not show the account name or the first/last name of the iLok owner.

The main difference, in this context, between an iLok1 or an iLok2 is that without logging in, you can see more information on an iLok2. This is because the chip inside the iLok2 is able to hold more information.

That would be an orphaned iLok. That is you cannot remove an iLok from your account unless it is blank. If you say, give your iLok2 with PTHD on it to a friend. They can use it but they will never be able to move licenses on or off it, RMA it or anything - it is essentially iLok non-grata because that user doesn’t have your account and password.

PT HD is not resell-able, period. That is the decision of the publisher - they set those rules for their products.So yes, an iLok will be usable, Pro Tools will run, but you will not be able to do anything with it. Getting an RMA on it is a no go, the transfer of the licenses or moving of them in anyway will not be possible. If (a big if, but it happens) the other user reports it stolen or lost - then it would be remotely terminated.

So Andrew Kirk’s advice is….

Don’t buy used iLoks for a number of reasons…..

They could be lost or stolen or RMA’d - thus unusable.

They could have expired demos on them.

They could poison your account if those iLoks have had demo software licenses before, which could mean you would not be eligible to demo that software.

You would not be able RMA the iLok or use it in any other way.

So yes, you can buy a surplus copy of PTHD on an iLok and it will work. However, if anything goes wrong with the iLok, you won’t be able to send it to iLok for repair or replacement, or do anything else with the iLok because—in the eyes of Avid, and therefore iLok—the buyer does not own the license on that iLok, it still belongs to the seller and the seller still has control over it.

iLok implement the instructions and restrictions set by the software vendors. Some software vendors do not allow users to sell plug-ins at all, but that is a software vendor’s decision, not iLok’s. Remember, the ownership of software is sometimes not as simple like the ownership of hardware. Software is normally licensed to the user (simply put - we have permission to use it, but we don’t own it) in return for a payment, so it is debatable whether we actually “buy” software; we have permission, with a whole raft of restrictions and limitations, (that thing most people don’t read when installing software), we just click “yes” and use the software.

Coming back to Avid Pro Tools HD, as we have discussed before, Avid say in their User Agreement that the HD software is linked to the hardware and shouldn’t be sold separately but they also don’t give us the mechanism to sell the software with the hardware either, or more specifically to transfer the license even when we sell the software with the hardware. In the past, Avid have had ways to enable users to resell hardware and software. They also have the ability to revoke a license in one account and then place it in another account - but it is up to them whether they want to enable such exchanges.

An Alternative Solution

The only other way to get Pro Tools HD software by itself would be to be an owner of Complete Production Toolkit 2 (CPTK2) and either Pro Tools 9 or Pro Tools 10 Vanilla. We understand that these licenses are still transferable from one iLok account to another—via iLok. Then, once you have them, you can apply to Avid to upgrade to PT11HD because Avid have provided CPTK owners the option to upgrade to Pro Tools 11HD.

PACE has offered iLok network licences for some time. Avid has announced support for network licensing is coming when they released Pro Tools 2018.1 so they can’t be far away. There are some pretty compelling reasons why licence servers are desirable in education and post facilities but to be useful they have to work in those environments. What are these requirements and does PACE’s implementation for iLok fit? Pro Tools Expert Team member Julian Rodgers is no stranger to Pro Tools in education and offers his opinion.

Exponential Audio recently announced that their Stereo Classic family of plug-ins - PhoenixVerb, R2, M7Control and Excalibur have now been expanded to include machine-based licensing in addition to conventional iLok licensing. We also cover how to change from iLok licensing to machine-based licensing and the pro and cons of machine-based and iLok based licensing.

Avid announced that they plan to offer iLok Network license support back in January 2018, but Sounds In Sync have gone one stage further and are now actually offering iLok Network Licenses for all their own products.

With the release of Pro Tools 2018.1 and iLok Cloud compatibility, we wanted to share in this article, up to date information about iLok Cloud compatible software and plug-ins, as we get it from brands and the community. Please be aware that this article will be updated as the information and compatibility status changes.

The creators of the iLok have asked us to help them conduct this simple survey about the new iLok Cloud. Your feedback will help them determine how to cover their costs while being able to make the iLok Cloud as accessible as possible. As an incentive, ten people who take part in the survey will be chosen at random to receive a free limited edition rose gold iLok.

PACE has updated iLok License Manager ready for the iLok Cloud, but we recommend that you read this article before you update iLok License manager as it can appear as if all your licenses on your iLok have disappeared after updating to iLok License Manager v4.0.0. Don't worry, it's a simple fix and all the details are in this article.

2017 has been our first visit to AES show and it has been an excellent show. the return to New York and scheduling it from Wednesday to Friday, as well as the nature of what the Audio Engineering Society is all about, mean that this show has had a great feel and I have enjoyed this show and its format with the convention and technical paper program making it a well worth the time to come to.

PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc. introduces an entirely new approach to software license protection—iLok Cloud. With iLok Cloud, software publishers can offer their users quick and easy access to their licenses from any computer with an Internet connection. iLok Cloud has the same level of robust security as the current iLok USB smart key, which will remain as an option along with machine-based licenses.

We have been getting reports from several sources that all their iLok protected software has stopped working. The current issue is getting an Authorization Exception message. The simple fix is to make sure you are on the latest version of the iLok License Manager.

Your iLok can be worth more than it's weight in gold if you have a lot of software licenses on it. Looking after it and protecting it should be a high priority but we so often don't give it a second glance. In this article, we are going to look at a number of options to consider.

In this article, we are going to take a look at what you should do if an iLok is broken, lost or stolen. iLoks are incredibly valuable especially when you have a lot of software and plug-in licenses on them and so it is best to look after them carefully but when the unthinkable happens then this is what you should do....

Since 2013, the iLok License Manager software has been at the core of how we manage the iLok licenses, that protect a lot of the software we buy. This article and the video from Avid cover how to use the iLok License Manager software to manage for iLok licenses.

If you have never used an iLok before you will need to buy an iLok, create a free iLok account and transfer the iLok license onto your iLok or computer. Existing Pro Tools owners with Pro Tools 9 and above will have had to set up an iLok account and own an iLok as the Pro Tools Software is protected by an iLok license that is required to be on an iLok license.

New Pro Tools owners and anyone that hasn't got an iLok are advised to follow the instructions in this guide. This guide will also help if you have received an activation code from a software publisher.

Got Pro Tools installed on more than one computer? Find yourself swapping iLok and Waves USB hubs between your systems? Got an Arm / Linux based NAS server? Want to be able to use your Pro Tools anywhere in the world, even if you've left you iLok behind? Alan Sallabank takes a look at the VirtualHere Server.

As you can imagine life at Pro Tools Expert can get complicated when running a Pro Tools computer. We test a lot of gear, that includes hardware and it also includes more than one Mac. Right now I have a Mac Pro running El Capitan and a Mac Mini running Pro Tools on Yosemite for testing which I have to jump between, so I wanted to find a solution that gave me the greatest flexibility with the minimum of pain. A few things needed addressing, screen, keyboard and mouse sharing, audio and MIDI input and also plug-in licences, this is the solution I came up with.

iLok have updated their website to respond to user concerns about getting information. It includes; A cleaner UI and routes to info, Easier to use supports tools, Better store experience and New how-to videos - what is ZDT and TLC

Community member Nathan Ruyle has reached out to us asking if we would share his experiences after buying an iLok protected plug-in on line.. I just had a recent experience with an iLok software license that I thought I would share with you as a cautionary tale about purchasing software from individuals rather than a vendor.

An issue that has not well publicised is that 2nd generation iLoks (iLok2) can have issues with USB3 ports on newer Macs. The fault can sometimes be replicated by unplugging the iLok after successfully using it, then plugging it back in again, after that, the iLok will light up but may not be detected by any application that needs to access it (this is obviously more of a problem for laptop users). The workaround is to plug it in via a certified USB2 hub (even one of the ports on an Apple keyboard will do).

Following a question in Podcast 81 from Michael Lux asking now to get a copy of Pro Tools 11HD software, because he wanted the surround features that are now only available in Pro Tools HD. We talked about how it was possible to buy it secondhand but that the seller would need to put it on an iLok and send the buyer the iLok as Avid have now blocked transferring Pro Tools HD licenses from one iLok account to another. In the podcast we also discussed how the iLok would show up on the buyer’s iLok License Manager.

Did you know you could label your iLok? Take a look at the photo above. On the underside of an iLok is a little button, if you push that in and then pull the translucent collar, the collar will come off to reveal a grey plastic area which you can write on.

To access and manage our iLok licenses users for many years now have used a web browser and a special extension, which worked well, but has been plagued with browser compatibility issues, especially with Firefox which hasn’t been supported for quite a while now, and there have been a number of things we couldn’t do like delete expired demo licenses.

Software protection gets a bad rap on the whole, not just from those trying to find ways to get software by not paying for it, but also from those who have paid for the software but sometimes find themselves locked out of our own software because the protection isn’t working as it should.

In this week’s podcast we had a question from Craig Shimmon about recommendations for how to make iLoks secure in a computer lab environment. I had two suggestions, a diecast box which Neil Hester suggested trashing the lid screws once fitted and screwed to the desk, or a product called a Roklocker. We have had an excellent solution which takes my diecast box idea and moves it on many stages to an excellent solution and so with Neil and Fred’s permission we bring you the Fredbox Mk 2. They also offer an improvement to my our ideas for a Mac Pro.